Action Comics #3
Action Comics #3
By Grant Morrison
Art by Rags Morales, Gene Ha, and Rick Bryant
Action Comics #3 is, well for the sake of redundancy, the third installment of the Action Comics series following Superman in is early adventures. In the past two issues I have been very reluctant to jump on board with the superman, but let's just say I'm working on it, and my psychiatrist says it's because I suffer from Assholiosis. A condition that makes me resent any drastic changes to my life that I consider balanced.
That being said, this issue felt much better to me. Here we have a some back story that all of us suffering from Assholiosis are familiar with. The taking of Kandor by the incredibly advanced Terminator, Braniac. I loved the art and the aristocratic society shown in this back story, however I felt a little disappointed by Rags attempt to make Jor-El look like a cross between Superman and Ultimate Captain Mar-Vell, and a very Pr-historic Krypto, if in fact that is who it is supposed to be.
Not only will the Kree Empire be pissed, but so is the Covenant!
My superior puns aside, the art was really well received by my neural networks allowing my condition to be bypassed. This history has not varied much from the Geoff Johns Superman run where we have Braniac as a archivist of Civilizations lost throughout the galaxy, an idea I am quite fond of!
Back to reality in the sense that we are still in the past where Superman is not so super, but is a aspiring Superhero/Reporter living in a ridiculously small 1 room apartment. There's not even a kitchen in here. We see at this point that the entire Kandor sequence was a dream Clark was having it gets interrupted by his landlord and some cops clearly on the take from Mr. Glenmorgan. Looks like they are searching his room, with no warrant, to find some dirt on Kent for his reports on Mr. Glenmorgans “dishonest” business practices.
For reasons yet to be explored, Clarks identity is revealed after the cops leave as his Landlord hands him back his costume. I'm not sure the point of this sequence other than to not let us forget that Clark has a run in coming with Glenmorgan that stretches into the Superman title. I was lukewarm to the idea that cops, even on that take would just barge in, no warrant, and clearly without discretion. Curse you assholiosis!
We also discover that Clarks hard ass attempt at coercing Glenmorgan into a confession not only alienated him, but the people are completely against him as Glenmorgan Blasts him publicly for his bullying tactics. If you didn't see that coming in issue one, then I praise you for having virgin, unblemished eyes that can still see the wonder in the rampant minor fails that are going on throughout this title. I so want to go into this but I'll bite my tongue and perhaps write another review about why this title tickles my Medulla oblongata in the wrong ways.
The ending is just as bad as it shows Lex being a completely oblivious, miscalculating mastermind he is known to be, when Braniac sends a part of his conscious into Sargent Corbin, who is currently in a suit for the “Steel Soldier” program that looks entirely to much like Apocalypse.
If you can't see it, you're doing it wrong.
My medical condition aside, I enjoyed the issue, it gave some depth to Clark and inserted some plots that a new reader will enjoy, even if to me, overdone. Ever since Geoff Johns rewrote Brainiac I've liked been a fan, and it appears Grant Morrison is sticking to this theme, which considering all the other blunders is a blessing.
3.0 out of 5 I'll keep reading, but only because I'm a glutton for punishment.
